An
Israeli military spokeswoman said navy forces detained the fishermen
for questioning because they deviated from the designated fishing area.
Warning shots were also fired in the air, she added.

Under
Israel's maritime blockade, Palestinians are forbidden from fishing more
than three nautical miles from the coast. During the Oslo accords
negotiators had agreed on 20 nautical miles of fishing access along
Gaza's coastline.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights condemned the escalation in attacks on Gaza fishermen.

"One of
the soldiers ordered us to stop, but we kept sailing south in escape of
the open fire. My cousin Ramez Baker’s boat suddenly stopped after a
bullet hit the boat engine, and the Israeli gunboat approached it, to a
distance of nearly 30 meters.

"I saw the four fishermen, Ramez,
Arafat, Khamis and his son Bayan, take off their clothes, jump in the
water amidst the continuous shooting, and swim towards the Israeli
gunboat. The soldiers confiscated the fishermen's boat and transported
it towards the northern side," he said.

PCHR says Palestinian
fishermen have lost 85 percent of their income because they are
prevented from reaching areas where fish are abundant.

"Sometimes,
Israeli forces also chase fishermen within the 3 nautical mile area,"
the Gaza-based rights group said in a statement.

"PCHR believes
that these violations are committed in the context of a policy of
collective punishment against civilians, and that they are aimed at
preventing civilians from meeting their subsistence needs. Such actions
are prohibited under international humanitarian and international human
rights law."